Book Bearings
Cover of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

  • 206 pages ยท about 3 hours
  • First published 1971
  • 26 editions

Bookshop.org links may earn us a commission. It supports independent bookstores and costs you nothing.

1 About this book

Maverick author Hunter S. Thompson introduced the world to "gonzo journalism" with this cult classic that shot back up the best seller lists after Thompson's suicide in 2005. No book ever written has more perfectly captured the spirit of the 1960s counterculture. In Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, Raoul Duke (Thompson) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (inspired by a friend of Thompson) are quickly diverted to search for the American dream.

Their quest is fueled by nearly every drug imaginable and quickly becomes a surreal experience that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. But there is more to this hilarious tale than reckless behavior, for underneath the hallucinogenic facade is a stinging criticism of American greed and consumerism.

Good for readers who want: humor and a true life story.

  • Humor
  • Journalists, biography
  • Biography
  • Journalists
  • Drug abuse

2 About Hunter S. Thompson

1937โ€“2005

Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 โ€“ February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prominence with the book Hell's Angels (1967), for which he lived a year among the Hells Angels motorcycle club to write a first-hand account of their lives and experiences.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

3 More by Hunter S. Thompson

4 Similar books

Find a book that fits your moment